Gauge for round hats



u 1951 J. w. STARBUCK 2,556,230

GAUGE FOR ROUND HATS Filed Feb. 3, 1945 J 2 u a JrmR/vEY Patented June 12, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAUGEFOR ROUND HATS John W. Starbuck, New York, Y.

Application February 3,1945, Serial No. 576,101 r 3 Claims. (01. sta rs The invention described herein, if patented may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to hat gages and, more particularly, to gages for measuring the head sizes of hats, caps, or the like, and has for its chief objects the provision of an instrument of the type named which is of simple and rugged construction, accurate and efflcient in the performance of its intended functions, and easily and quickly manipulated. I

, With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel features of construction, mode of operation, and combination of parts described in the following specification and section through the gage taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1, looking in the directionof the arrows, and Figure 5 is asection taken along line 5-5 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of'the arrows, and showing the arrangement and relation of the guides, the pointer and the operating means therefor.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the gage-is provided with a base member I, whichmay be of any suitable material and has a generally rectangular outline withrounded corners. A pair of guides 2, 2 are secured to the base member I in spaced-apart relationship. The guides 2, 2' are undercut, as indicated at 3, to form grooves for the sliding reception of a slide 4 whose length is slightly greater than the width of the base mem ber A sliding block 5 is secured to slide 4 with the interposition of a filler piece 6, seen in Figure 3, between said block and slide so that the block rests upon the top surface of the guides 2, 2

for sliding movement therealong, and the slide is held in a position spaced from the base member The block 5 has a rounded face I provided with a rim 8 projecting therefrom, for a purpose later to be explained. A fixed block 9 is secured to the top surface of the guides 2, 2 in opposed relationship to the sliding block 5. The fixed block 9 has a rounded surface H] from which projects the rim I. The sliding block 5 and fixed block 9 have the fiat opposed surfaces l2 and I3 respectively. The rounded surfaces 1 and ID together form a cylinder and are adapted to engage opposite interior portions of a hat whose size is e lo to be measured. v

- A member 4, which may be of any suitable material, is secured to the base and has a sectorshaped cut-out portion' l5, as shown in Figure 1, forming a cavity in which 'a'pointer I6 is adapted to move. The pointer I6 is in the form of a flat bar, having a reduced end portion I! and a hole I8 for the reception of a'nail '|9 actin as a pivot. 1 A cavity 20 is form'ed'inthe lower surface of one of the guides 2, 2 adjacent to and forming a continuation of the cavity [5. The pointer I6 is pivoted within the cavity 20 and the reduced end portion ll of the pointer engages a pointer activating pin 2|, projecting downwardly from the bottom of the slid 4 so that a sliding movement of'the slide 4 c'auses a pivotal movement ofthe the pin'2 {is opposed by the spring 22.

A plate 24 of transparent material such as Lucite is fixed over the member 4 covering thecavity Hi. This plate24 bears the scale markings 25 thereon, graduated to indicate hat sizes. The pointer 6 has the mark 26 thereon for indicating its positionwith' relation to the scale markings Finger grips 21, .28 are provided on the slide 4 and a finger grip 29 is provided on one of the guides 2; 2', as'seen in Figure 1, whereby the slide 4 may be moved to any position which it is capable of assuming.

ln'tlieinitial condition of the instrument, be-

fore it is -put'into use, the slide 4 and the pointer IE will normally lie in the positions shown in Figure 1, to which positions they are brought by theaction of the spring 22 causing the reduced end portion H of the pointer Hi to engage the pin 2| of the slide. In this condition, the instrument is in its fully closed or retracted position.

In order to use the instrument, it is only necessary to place a hat, cap, or the like, over the blocks 5 and 9 resting upon the rim portions 8 and I thereof, and to move the slide 4 by use of the finger grips 21 and29, or 28, and therewith the block 5, until the rounded surfaces 1 and H! are pressed firmly against the inside surface of the band of the hat. The movement of the slide 4, by reason of the engagement of the pin 2| thereon with the reduced end portion ll of the pointer l6, moves the pointer to a position from which the size of the hat is indicated by the relation of the mark 26 on the pointer IE to the scale markings 25 on the transparent plate 24. Upon releasing the finger grips 2'! and 29, or 28, the spring 22 causes the return of the parts of the instrument ,to their initial positions, as indicated in Figure l, and the hat can Jae removed themfrom.

It will be noted that the rim H of the fixed block 9 is of a width greater than that of the rim 8 of the movable block 5, and that :the :rim 8 has ears 8' at opposite sides 01 the movable block 5 which are of a width corresponding to that of the rim II. The wide rimwil and the wide portions 8 of the rim 8 are provided to form a substantial support for a hat to rest upon when placed over the blocks 5 and 9,, While :rim.8 is made narrow to facilitate the mositioningand removal of the hats on the gage without interierence with any of its parts. While the instrument, .as shown in Figure .1, is most .used by placing the hats over the blocks with the right hand, and manipulating vthe :slide .4 with the left hanchit can also be operated-in the reverse manner without difficulty.

It will thus be apparent that the invention as described above provides asix-nple gage of rug construction, having no complicated parts likely to get out of order, and by means of which the ,sizes .of hats of all kinds can be quickly andeasily determined.

Having thus clearly described and illustrated the invention, what is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent 1. A device rer measuring :the sizes of hats, reaps, or [the like, edmprising a base plate, a second plate mounted "thereon ,and ,=prov-i ded with a sector-shaped cut-out portion extending therehroueh, a pair of guide members provided wi h correlated undercut portions and mounted transversely of the base plate in spaced apart relaionship at a point adjacent the Vertex of the sector-shaped :cut-out portion, a manually operable slide mounted on .said base with its edges located in the spaces provided by the zundercut portions, a substantially sew-cylindrical hat or cap-engaging block fixed :to the base, a complemental substantiall semi-cylindrical hat or capen a ing block fixed :to the slide, a pivotallymounted pointer located in the sector-shaped cut-out and having one end operatively connected with said slide, and spring means for normally maintaining said slide and the :hatengaging block mounted thereon in retracted position.

2. A device for measuring the sizes of hats, caps, or the like, comprising a base plate, :a second plate mounted thereon and provided with a sector-shaped cut-out portion extending therethrough, a pair of guide members mounted on the base plate in spaced apart relationship and provided with correlated undercut portions, a manually operable slide mounted on said base with its edges located in the spaces provided by .-the undercut portions, a substantially semiqyllindrical hat or cap engaging EblOCk fixed to the base, a complemental substantially semicylindrical hat or cap-engaging block fixed to the slide, a pivotally-mounted pointer located in the sector-shaped cut-out and having one end operatively connected with said slide, spring means for normally maintaining said, slide and the hat enga ing :blook mounted thereon in retracted position, and a transparent member secured to theupper surface of the second-mentioned plate and extending .over the sector-shaped cut-out portion .and pointer.

3. A device for measuring the sizes of hats, caps, .or the like, comprising .a base plate, a sec- .ond plate mounted thereon and provided "with a sector-shaped cut-out portion extending them-- through, a pair of guide members mounted on the base plate in spaced apart relationship and provided with correlated undercut portions, a manually operable slide mounted on said *base with its edges located in the spaces provided :by the undercut portions, ,a substantially semi-cylindrical hat :or cap-engaging block fixed to the base, a complemented substantially semi-cylindrical hat or cap-engaging block rfixed (to the slide, a wide rim projecting from one of said blocks, a narrow rim projecting from the other block to cooperate with the first-mentioned rim in supporting -:a hat or can, a pivotally-mounted pointer located the sector-shaped cut-out and having one end operatively connected with said slide, and spring means for normally maintaining said slide and the hat-engaging block mounted thereon in retracted position.

.JOHN W. 'STAR'BUGK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the fiie of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 236,283 Lamont M Jan. 4, 1881 1,210,557 Stanbery Jan. '2, -191'] 1,325,943 Howard Dec. '23, 1919 1,625,462 Frauenthal Apr. 19, 1927 1,932,682 Berkley Oct. 31, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 307,954 Germany Sept. 25, 191.8 

